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Articles by Craig Sheach
Build to Rent: the pathway to ownership
The Labour government is focusing on housing delivery numbers, looking at new policy and throwing around seemingly large sums of money to solve the issue. Let’s ignore, for now, the sleight of hand that tries to suggest that the billions of pounds for housing does anything more than deliver a fraction of what’s required and look to the wider issue that appears to be missing from their focus.
Is the RIBA Stirling Prize’s door closed to all but a few?
For every Parasite, there’s a Braveheart. For every study of the human condition, there’s an action film. For every first-time director there’s a long-established mainstreamer. The Academy Awards seem agnostic to genre and celebrate the best in class, whether it’s a budget indie film or a big-budget blockbuster. Can we say the same for the Stirling Prize? Does it truly celebrate the full breadth of our industry or are there hidden, unconscious barriers to entry?
Designing for diversity: Embracing neurodiversity in urban spaces
We need to consider a much wider range of needs when designing new public realm, writes Craig Sheach Disability is a complex word. It evokes connotations and stereotypes that are often unhelpful and creates a box in which many who are not considered to be ‘able’ are placed and struggle to escape from. As a word it also does not naturally associate with those whose challenges or conditions are not so obvious within the day to day. One of those hidden groups are the neurodiverse.
Why we need to learn to love the two storey building again
Architect Dorian Moore shares lessons from Detroit on how low-rise buildings have a vital role to play in helping Midwest cities adapt and survive Why two-storey buildings? Many existing towns and cities in the Midwest, as well as further-afield, are facing tough challenges. Working from home has affected the worker populations of downtowns and this has had a negative impact on the retail and commercial businesses that service them.
Faulkner Browns' 2,500-home Ladbroke Grove scheme goes in for planning
Project has 11 year build programme with first homes completed at end of decade Source: Ballymore/Faulkner Brown Developer Ballymore and retailer Sainsbury’s have submitted a planning application for a joint venture development in Kensington and Chelsea. The development will deliver 2,519 new homes, including at least 500 affordable homes, two parks and 90,000 sq ft of high street shops, cafes and restaurants, as well as a new 130,000 sq ft Sainsbury’s supermarket.
Co-living is an important tool in addressing the housing crisis
The current interest in co-living reflects a welcome shift towards high-quality provision of housing for an underserved demographic, writes Craig Sheach During tough times, the market often retreats from “for sale” homes and pivots to student housing as a way to make sites viable. The recent economic turmoil has led to another cycle in this familiar pattern. However, there has also been a notable rise in co-living as an alternative “go-to” product.
Can BTR fully embrace regenerative design?
The property sector is slowly but surely adapting to modern sustainability and environmental efforts. From the materials used in the building of developments, to how it’s sourced and where, are just some of the considerations that developers are now implementing. Less replacement and maintenance lowers Build to Rent’s environmental footprint.
Truly mixed and balanced communities
The most simplistic statement of what constitutes something sustainable is that ‘local is always better than global’. Walking to closer places is better than driving to far away ones. Picking up locally produced goods is preferable to ordering cellophane wrapped, over-packaged parcels from foreign climes. Interacting face-to-face is better than zoom calls with never ‘met-in-the-flesh’ strangers. Local is always better.
Future proofing Build to Rent
We are living in uncertain times. Our political landscape is in upheaval. Our relationships with our neighbours are fractious and unsettled. A war thousands of miles away is deeply affecting our household economies and the cost of running a business. Even our weather, the traditional unfailing mainstay of British-ness, is riddled with hose pipe bans, floods and fallen trees.
Social sustainability and placemaking
Rather than providing facilities buried deep or at high level in Build to Rent developments, exclusive to residents only, should the solution be to push ground floor space outwards and open to all to create true social sustainability and placemaking?
Will the climate suffer because of build cost inflation?
These are unique and unsettling times. Brexit, Covid and the terrible war in Ukraine are all contributing to a spike in inflation, much of which is being borne by the construction sector. Build costs are rising at the fastest rate for decades, driven by labour and material shortages, energy prices, high demand and sub-contract supply inflation. Compounding this further, viability models are being squeezed by emerging regulations, compliance requirements and static land values.
Part O: designing BTR to deal with climate change
As an industry we have known about overheating for years but probably haven’t taken it seriously enough. From anecdotal conversations referencing buildings where summertime temperatures topped 40 degrees to discussions with MEP engineers about insulated heating pipe work and how we can combine smoke ventilation with fresh air supply, we have had the luxury of playing around the edges.
Can BTR play a leading role in the fight against climate change?
Canada Gardens, Wembley Park, a scheme of PRP architects who discuss if BTR can lead the way in fighting climate change. Image credit: Chris Winter. We all acknowledge that more needs to be done to reduce our impact on our precious planet. The building industry has a significant role to play in tackling climate change and we can all agree that we can, and must, do better.
Will the Building Better, Building Beautiful report help our high streets?
There is much to be applauded in the Building Better, Building Beautiful report, which rightly identifies today’s challenges facing the high street. However, it misses the mark on the important messages by distracting us with the beauty debate – a polarising term that is too closely identified with style. Really, that conversation should be how we define ‘placemaking’.
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